Kathy Smith
"Tummy Trimmers", despite its horrid name,
is a great little DVD. It contains five varied
10-minute ab workouts which you can
program to play in any order.
Set: The set is decorated in soft autumn
tones with muted lighting, giving the
workouts a relaxed feeling.
Background exercisers: Kathy works with a
small group of background exercisers,
including one guy, except in the Pilates
section, where she is alone. While some of
the ladies display admirably ripped
midsections, a couple have more "real-
world" shapes, which reinforces Kathy's
emphasis on strength and functional fitness
over aesthetic considerations.
DVD design: The main menu gives a brief
audio introduction from Kathy to each
workout. My only complaint about the
design is that, when you make your
selection, a red box appears against a
shocking pink background, which is very
difficult to see.
Now on to the workouts...
Standing Abs: I was a bit disappointed with
this workout, as it is far less intense than
other standing ab routines. However, it is
designed as a warmup to the other routines,
rather than a stand-alone workout, and in
this respect it fits the bill. You could also
use it as a warmup to other DVDs. After a
quick warmup, Kathy moves into a series of
twisting knee lifts, overhead stretches, side-
to-side chops, and some standing balance
work.
Core Abs: This section will be a favourite
among the crunch-phobic. It combines a
series of toe taps, planks with variations,
back extensions, boat and half-boat poses
and side planks with hip pulses.
Boot Camp Abs: This aptly-named workout
includes a variety of crunches, including
crunches while twisting your legs over to
one side (I really felt this in my obliques),
pulsed crunches, V-sits, and bicycles. The
workout finishes with a quick cobra stretch.
Stability Ball Workout: After a warmup
consisting of reaches and twists while
straddling the ball, Kathy moves into a long
series of crunches on the ball. This is
followed by woodchops (you could add a
light medicine ball to this bit), back
extensions on the ball, roll-outs, leg lifts
with your pelvis on the ball, tucks, and side
crunches with one hip on the ball.
Pilates Mat Abs: This is a short yet effective
series of roll-ups, single and double leg
stretches, and bridges. Kathy continually
keeps you focused on perfect form.
Overall comments: There's nothing new or
innovative here - just a series of well-
designed, effective routines which work all
sections of your abs without a wasted
moment. Kathy also incorporates some
quick stretches throughout the workouts.
Rating: Five stars out of five.
Instructor comments:
Kathy is gently encouraging. Throughout the
DVD she says that, while everyone wants a
six-pack, it's important to have a strong
midsection to help us perform everyday
activities. During the workouts, she often
points out the muscles you are using on the
background exercisers, and demonstrates
easier and more advanced variations. And of
course, she looks fantastic!
RedPanda
April 2007